THE FINAL WHISTLE
MARK KEOHANE: Jaguares loss could come back to bite the Lions once again
‘Surely, take the strongest team to Buenos Aires and rest the ‘tired and exhausted‘ in matches against local opposition or weaker Australian teams’
The Lions in 2016 sent a weakened team to Buenos Aires to play the Jaguares and lost. The consequence was losing the top league position and ultimately, it cost them a home final and potentially the 2016 Super Rugby title. It is way too early to say — with conviction — that a second successive defeat in Buenos Aires will again prove as costly, but it wouldn’t be an understatement to feel the Lions risked unnecessarily in the context of the season. And potentially lost more than just a rugby match. Lions coach Johan Ackermann, in explaining the decision to make nine changes to the team that put 50 points past the Waratahs, said it "gives us a chance to get some of the other guys fresh again". The Lions had played two matches, one in Bloemfontein and one in Johannesburg. How stale and exhausted can a player be after two matches into the competition? The Jaguares, in Buenos Aires, are arguably the most difficult match the Lions will play to get to the playoffs, given they do not play a...
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